CHEN YINGJIE: Critical Point
Taipei
May 23 - July 5, 2020
"Critical Point is the limit of humanity's development of nature. Exceeding means destruction. In the torrent of times, individuals may not be able to perceive his upheaval, but think about social pressure on the earth continues to rise to an unprecedented level. What a picture." — Chen Yingjie
Whitestone Gallery is honoured to present Critical Point, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Chinese artist Chen Yingjie. On view at the gallery's Taipei location, this exhibition marks his debut solo presentation in Taiwan. The show will introduce 12 new paintings from the series of 'Gravity' and 'The Dragon Hidden in the Clouds'. Notably, 'Gravity' and the work 'Chinese Landscape in the Graffiti World' were created during the pandemic, in which the artist was inspired by the imbalance relationship between nature and human.
Combining Chinese ink and western graffiti, Chen's paintings express a range of surging emotions with a direct creative method. Not only he has abandoned the brushes used in traditional Chinese ink paintings, then boldly apply Western paints such as acrylic and spray paint, but has also adapted splashing and spraying techniques into his work. The spontaneous body movements are fully demonstrated through the use of flashy colour and wild lines, illustrating his unique interpretation of contemporary Chinese landscape. The artist has also added fluorescent paints in his work 'Chinese Landscape in the Graffiti World', and with the display of purple lights in the dark, it has further enhanced the delicate tension of Chinese and Western cultural integration.
Chen Yingjie was born in 1991 in Foshan, where he continues to live and work. He graduated from Raffles Design Institute Singapore. His works have been exhibited in many cities, including Paris, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore. Besides the upcoming exhibition in Taipei, The Balance of Nature is his current exhibition in Brussels, held by Mazel Galerie. His work 'Breaking - Loong Series II' is also on view at the Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery through May 22. Chen's works have been the subjects of prominent collection internationally, such as the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, WWF Hong Kong, CapitaLand Group Singapore, etc. Chen has collaborated with luxury brands such as Cartier, BMW, and Louis Vuitton.
Taipei
1F, No.1, Jihu Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City, 114, Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 8751 1185
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Closed: Monday
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ARTIST
"Chinese traditional culture has had a huge influence in my creation, for instance, the harmony between yin and yang, as well as the concept of essence, qi and spirit. The dynamic invisible qi not only exists in the traditional Chinese painting but also in my vibrant works. What my viewers can perceive are the vigour of life, the force of nature, confrontations between different species, and most importantly, the imbalanced relationship between nature and humans." Chen Yingjie (known as Huatunan) was born in 1991 in Foshan, Guangdong, China, where he continues to live and work. He graduated from Raffles Design Institute Singapore. The artist was listed as one of the "25 Contemporary Chinese Artists You Need to Know" by American magazine Complex and was selected as "30 under 30" by Forbes China. His works have been exhibited in many cities, including "Take Contemporary as an Approach" in Powerlong Museum, Shanghai, China (2021), as well as shows in Paris, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Brussel. Chen's works have been the subjects of prominent collections internationally, such as the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, BMW China Automotive Trading Ltd., Cartier Shanghai, WWF Hong Kong, CapitaLand Group Singapore, Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore etc.